Vengeance
by Codester Izanami
Summary: A story about a young man's quest for revenge, struggling against the odds in hopes of finding the famed sword, Soul Calibur, to defeat the newly resurrected Nightmare. Includes the use of mature language,blood and gore, and adult situations. It's still got a ways to go, but try to stay with me 'til the end! Please review. :D
1. Chapter 1

Hey there, readers! This is my first story, so it may not be all that amazing, but I'm really hoping you guys will like it! It's based mostly on Soul Calibur IV, since I wasn't a huge fan of some of the characters in V, mostly because they got rid of a lot of people. It isn't really based on any of their storylines; I'm just using the characters, along with ones I've made up for this story. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it. Here goes!

**Prologue**

Years ago, a great war erupted all over the land of Tropus, a war to control the cursed sword, Soul Edge. The war was so vast that it spilled into neighboring nations, attracting armies from around the world, making the entire nation of Tropus a warzone. A small kingdom managed to take possession of it during a recent skirmish, merely by luck. The man who came to wield it originally wasn't very powerful, but with Soul Edge in hand; he became almost god-like. Nobody could defeat him. He hoped that the sword would bring his kingdom wealth and power, but it only attracted more attacks from other nations, greedy to use the sword for their own purposes. Battle after battle eventually brought his kingdom to its knees, unable to continue from lack of rest and constant fighting. Yet he, alone, struggled on. His kingdom decimated, he began to fight for revenge, using his hatred as fuel to push onward. After a few months, fighting and murder become second nature to him, almost as easy as breathing. He didn't realize that the sword was corrupting him, leeching off of his soul and twisting him into a monster, stripping him of his humanity. To him, bloodshed and killing was a necessity, an addiction. He couldn't go more than a few days without slaughtering. Weeks passed and his transformation continued. Soul Edge morphed his body, and had begun to merge with it. Each kill seemed to speed up the process. Within days, the warrior's right arm had been completely consumed by the evil sword. It had a mind of its own now. And an urge to strip the soul from everyone he met…

"Nightmare" he had heard a man once call him, just before he beheaded him, and consumed his soul. He became rather fond of the name, as it struck fear into all who heard it. That wasn't enough for him though. He wanted to strike such a piercing fear into his victims that none would dare utter his name. As he pondered a way to achieve this, he started to notice changes in his body, aside from the grotesque right arm. His skin had begun to blacken, making him appear less human than he already was. Adding to his already inhuman appearance, were his eyes. They had gone from soft blue to an almost glowing red. The change suited him just fine, aside from his inability to be out in the sun. Since his skin began to change, it became hyper sensitive to sunlight, burning and scarring whenever it made direct contact. If he wanted to continue on his path of destruction, he knew he had to conceal himself. And so, he forged a set of armor, completely covering his body, with the exception of his right arm. The armor was of deepest azure, so dark that it almost appeared black. Witnesses began to refer to him as "The Azure Knight…"

Nightmare now held the world in his grasp. Nothing, be it man or beast, could hope to defeat him. He was feared by everyone. Tales of his ability to dispatch of entire armies singlehandedly kept most from attempting to steal his sword. Any who were brave or foolish enough to try were instantly swept aside by his might. With Soul Edge in his grasp, he was invincible. It was years before a small group of warriors finally banded together to topple this devil king. With the help of the holy sword's power, a man named Siegfried managed to defeat Nightmare, atop the ruins of his former kingdom. Enraged that his own brother had been his downfall, Nightmare swore revenge upon all who could wield the holy sword's power, including his brother. He swore that he would return, years from now, with an even stronger Soul Edge, and an army of its wielders. With his last breath, he promised that his usurpers and their families would suffer a fate worse than death when he was resurrected. After the battle, Soul Edge and its counterpart disappeared without a trace, leaving only memories behind. Soon after, tales of the great heroes' exploits were spread, but even more popular were the tales of the weapons they wielded. Soul Calibur, a weapon that could match, and even beat Soul Edge. Merchants and sell swords from across the world scoured the lands for any trace of the fabled weapons, but none could find it. Until one day, it came into the hands of a young merchant…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

"Guys, guys!" a young man yelled worriedly, "Be careful with that crate! I'm getting paid a fortune for the safe arrival of what's in there!" He sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy, strawberry blonde hair. He was trying to hide just how terrified he was of these men dropping this precious crate.

"Where are we supposed to put this thing, kid?" One of the men asked, his muscles quivering from the strain of holding up the crate. His partner was fairing only a little better. Both were exhausted, sick of their job already. Even with the sea breeze, summers were nearly unbearable. He always hated whenever he got a delivery call for "Up In Arms", the shop run by Richard Lace.

"Just," Richard began, sighing a little in frustration, "Set it in the back. The boss'll pay you on your way out." He said as he fanned his face with his hand, cursing that the crate arrived on one of the hottest days of the year. The men grunted in understanding, not able to do much more to respond since the heat was really starting to get to them.

After the delivery ship left port, Richard strode to the shop, lifting the small metal gate that hung above his stall, letting all pedestrians know that he was open for business. HE was rather confident that he'd make a profit today, since he had received many new (or so he told customers) weapons. This didn't include the last item delivered. The man he had bought it from had told him that he had shards of the legendary sword of destruction, Soul Edge. Since this wasn't an everyday claim, he had to verify the authenticity of the weapon for himself. As far as he could tell, the weapon seemed real enough. It matched the description of every book and tale that he had heard. Eager to buy, he had offered the man a small fortune to buy the sword from him. Even though it was in pieces, he knew an avid collector or believer of the stories would pay at least triple the amount he paid. Surprisingly, the man immediately agreed upon the price, he didn't even try to haggle for more. This struck Richard as odd. The seller had seemed nervous, then almost relieved once the sword had been sold. He shrugged it off, not caring why the man had behaved that way. He only cared about the profit.

"Hey, Mr. Lace." A little girl, no older than eight, greeted Richard. "It looks like you got some new stuff today!" she said excitedly.

He smiled and nodded, then spread his arms, gesturing to the wall of weapons behind him and said, "Well, what do you think, Annie?"

She stood on her toes, trying to see over the edge of the stall, quickly giving up after she realized she was too short. "What was in that really big crate ya got?" she asked. "The one those two big guys brought here."

"Oh, that's a surprise, m'dear!" he exclaimed. "I plan to show it off at the weapon exhibition this evening." He said with a sly smile. "With any luck, a guard or maybe some sell sword will pay king's ransom for it."

"It's really worth that much?" Annie asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Maybe even more, if I'm really lucky and play my cards right."

"And how do you plan to do that, hm?" a man asked, obviously doubting Richard's success.

"Mr. Kingsley. Hey." Richard said, all excitement drained from his voice. He hated any conversation he had with Mr. Kingsley. This was unfortunate since Kingsley was the one who actually owned the shop. Richard was just the pretty face that could sell and buy weapons for cheap. "Sounds like you question my selling skills."

"I don't doubt that you can sell things." He said gruffly. "But that's when you have things you can actually sell. What you're trying to sell today is a shattered sword that may or may not be an evil weapon. You really think anybody will buy it when you have no proof?" he finished, closing his argument. Richard narrowed his eyes, unable to come with anything to counter Mr. Kingsley, then grunted and shrugged. "I thought so." He said smugly, and then walked away, whistling happily."

"Fuck you." Richard said quietly, checking to make sure his boss was out of earshot.

"Under that pretty face hides such a vile tongue." A woman to his left stated with a chuckle.

Richard blushed, embarrassed that he had been overheard. "What do you want, Ivy?" he asked as he turned to face her. She was a tall woman, with snow white hair and piercing facial features. He liked to think that he hated her, but she was one of the few people he could actually be himself around. Not to mention she had generously large breasts, the weakness of any man.

"What's this I hear of a new shipment coming in?" She asked bluntly.

"You'll just have to wait until this evening to find out." He said as he bent over, resting his elbows on the stall counter and propping his hands up with his hands as he stared at Ivy's chest. "I'll be unveiling it at the weapon demonstration at the end of the festival." Before he could continue, Ivy turned around and walked away, waving curtly before she was engulfed by the swarm of people.


End file.
